CHEAP TRICK Guitarist RICK NIELSEN - "I'm Not A Virtuoso; I'm A Songwriter That Plays Rhythm Guitar"
January 23, 2022, 2 years ago
newscheap trickclassic rockrick nielsen
Guitar World recently caught up with Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen, who offered a look inside the band's creative process. Following is an excerpt from the story:
Nielsen credits the band’s Midwestern upbringing as the catalyst that keeps them going strong after nearly five decades – often playing more than 150 nights a year – which is why it was so tough for them to slow down when the pandemic hit. Fortunately, when the shutdown occurred, they had In Another World in the can and pretty much ready to go. It was recorded – pre-pandemic – at Love Shack Studios in Nashville.
As with past Cheap Trick albums, the band wrote In Another World through collective creativity. Members would typically workshop ideas in individual studios and share them with each other to be built on.
"We don’t write with a specific idea in mind or a specific task that we have to do," Nielsen says. "You get a bunch of songs together, and before you know it, it’s an album. We wrote more songs than these. It’s like getting a pile of songs and flushing them out, seeing how they do."
"I always play [my parts] according to the song," he continues. "If it’s a fast song, I’d better step it up. I always try to do what the song dictates, at least what it dictates to me. We’ve recorded probably 400 or 500 songs, so there’s no set pattern of how we do anything."
"We try to get a good, basic track on everything, then we go from there. A lot of times we just use the whole basic track, though – drums, bass and even vocals. Because we’ve been doing this a long time, so we know what a mistake sounds like. We don’t try to be something that we’re not. I’m not a virtuoso. I’m a songwriter that plays rhythm guitar – and once in a while I have to play lead. So, once again, it’s like the song tells me what the [song is about]."
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Cheap Trick are coming to Las Vegas! Catch these legendary musical icons across four dates at The Strat Theater: February 25 and 26, March 4 and 5. Tickets are on sale at this location.
The VIP Soundcheck Experience includes:
A unique opportunity to attend the band's private pre-show soundcheck
Exclusive Cheap Trick Merchandise
Commemorative VIP Laminate
Dedicated entrance and check-in with a member of Cheap Trick's team
Early entry to venue
Group picture with the band
All attendees will be required to receive a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to event entry, or have vaccination cards showing they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Speaking with John Katsilometes of The Las Vegas Review-Journal, Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen recalled, “The first time we played Vegas (in 1977), we opened for Kansas, and they wouldn’t even put us on the marquee. They didn’t want the words ‘cheap trick’ on a casino marquee.”
“We’re going to play sort of like what we had done before, when we’ve played a full album, and then extra tracks,” Nielsen said. “We’re going to try to do that in Vegas. We can play the first album, the second album, third album and fourth album over a four-night stand.”
